In a late-May of 1968 game against the Cubs at Wrigley, where anything can happen, Pops crushed three bombs, doubled off the ivy wall, and singled to collect a total of 15 bases. He led the offensive charge and drove in more runs than the Cubs even scored. The Pirates won the game by a score of 13-6.

Stargell’s 15 total bases were brought up a few times throughout the 2012 season when Pedro Alvarez had a few games with two home runs and an extra base hit, but Pops’ record still stands going into 2013.

Wilson, just 23 years old at the time, let loose an errant throw in the top of the first of the Pirates’ second game ever at PNC Park. Aaron Boone reached on Wilson’s error, and Dmitri Young and Alex Ochoa crossed the plate to make it 3-0 in favor of Cincinnati. Despite Jack’s blunder, the Bucs went on to win the game, 6-5. Jumpin’ Jack Flash made plenty of spectacular plays to make up for his errors, such as this:

The Dutchman was inducted into Cooperstown in 2011 as a Minnesota Twin, where he spent most of his career, but was a key part of the Bucs’ success in the late 70s. With the Pirates, Blyleven earned 34 of his 287 career wins and recorded 522 of his 3,701 career strikeouts, which is good for 5th best all-time. In the 1979 World Series, he started and won Game 5 with the Pirates down three games to one. His career in Pittsburgh ended with him threatening to retire if he wasn’t traded, but he went on to put up dominating numbers with a few different teams. In his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, Blyleven received only 17% of the votes, but eventually broke the 75% mark needed in his 14th year of eligibility.

Clemente knocked three triples on September 8th, 1958 against Cincinnati (box score); no other Pirates player has accomplished the feat since then. Other Buccos to hit three three-baggers in one game include Dave Brain in 1905, Chief Wilson in 1911, and Carlos Bernier in 1953. Additional triples records can be viewed HERE. We ask a question about Clemente tonight because the 40th anniversary of his tragic death was this past Monday, December 31.

Elroy Face racked up all of those saves while pitching a ton of innings. He wasn’t a conventional one-inning pitcher like we see today, so he pitched multiple innings in most of his appearances. He even won 18 games out of the pen in 1958 – still a record to this day. Face also saved three of the four Pirate wins in the 1960 World Series, but we all know why he didn’t get the save in that fourth one.

Kent Tekulve was the closer for the Bucs from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, and put up similar numbers to Face. He matched Face’s three saves in a World Series, and got the save in the series-clinching Game 7. Teke threw 1434.2 innings in his career. They all came out of the bullpen, so he owns the record for most innings pitched without ever making a start.

What’s most impressive about Mike Williams’ save number is that he racked them all up while playing on some really bad 90+ loss teams. He even saved 46 of the Pirates’ 72 wins in 2002.

Dave Giusti was converted to a reliever when he came to Pittsburgh, and was a key part of the team’s success in the early 1970s. Using the palmball, Giusti led the NL with 30 saves in 1971 and saved Game 4 in the World Series. From 1970-73, Giusti saved at least 20 games in each season, which helped bring his total up above 100.

Joel Hanrahan easily would have reached the century mark some time in 2013, but was traded this week and ended his Bucco career with 82 saves. Stan Belinda, Matt Capps, and Jose Mesa are the only other pitchers with more than 60 saves as a Pirate, with 61, 67, and 70 respectively.

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'From Forbes to Federal' is more than an alliteration; it represents the rich history of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise. The Bucs collected three World Series titles while calling Forbes Field their home. They occupied Three Rivers Stadium from 1970 to 2000 before moving to the jewel on the North Shore, PNC Park. One of the best ballparks in America, PNC is located on Federal Street. The tradition of the franchise has been carried from Forbes to Federal.